Silence
by NomiNamikaze
Summary: I walked over to the right side of the hospital bed and sat down in my usual seat. The hospital looked the same like everyday. The white bed with the neat sheets. The window that had the pale blue curtains. On the nightstand was the bouquet of flowers I got yesterday a a few cards sat on the window sill. I shouldn't have let her go on that damn mission. (one-shot)


_Okay!_

_This was kind of a surprise! I really wanted to write but I didn't know what and then I wrote this nice little one-shot._

_Honestly I almost cried twice writing some parts. Don't laugh. I tried actually to write more heart-wrenching stuff but tears didn't actually fall from my face. But I felt them burn and well up with tears._

_This is exciting! My first actually uploaded one-shot. I was never really fond of one-shots. But OH WELL._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto_

* * *

My alarm was the one that woke me up every day for the past three weeks.

It was still taking time to adjust to the annoying beeping sound every morning.

I sat up in my bed, way too big for just me, which I never realized until now, and scratched the back of my head. I sighed, taking a moment and seeing that today was going to be the same exact routine as every day for the past three weeks.

I swung my legs over to the side and got up slowly, breathed in, and took off my baggy navy blue t-shirt that I wore every night. I slipped on a white t-shirt, and took off the black pants I wore, every night, and tugged on a navy blue pair. I put on my sandals and strode out of my room into the kitchen.

It was quiet, which was strange, but anymore it was normal for me. There wasn't any screaming kids arguing over the last piece of bacon or plainly just yelling for no reason.

I poured cereal in a bowl, which the box was now empty and I would have to buy a new one on my way home today. I pulled the milk out the fridge and poured some into the bowl and began to eat once I sat down.

I took a glance at the calendar.

In pink pen were the words, _Mari comes home_.

So Mari would be home today? At least there will be someone in the house.

Next week in red pen was written, _Namiko comes home._

I gave a sigh. Just me and Mari for a week. I didn't bother looking for my sons' names, Ren, wouldn't be home until next month and Seito wasn't even sure when he'd be home, so he'd be a surprise.

He wasn't sure what time Mari would be home so I decided to leave a note saying I'd be home to make dinner. And told her where I was.

I got up from the chair in my kitchen and put the bowl in the sink with the spoon. I sighed again, I was for sure bored.

I left the house and locked up, leaving the key under the mat for Mari, since I wasn't sure if she had her key, she would always forget it.

I walked down the street I walked down every day receiving "Good mornings." And on a rare occasion "How are you?"

I was about to turn right when I came to the fork in the road. One direction leading to more houses and the other leading into the busy shop part of town. I headed to the left, the busy shop part.

I walked down that street for a couple minutes and noticed the old woman who usually always was outside sweeping up the doorway into her family's business, a bakery.

"Oh, good morning Sasuke." She said as I got closer to her. She looked the same as always, white hair tied up in a bun, a pale yellow long sleeved dress, and her white apron. Her face was kind but had bags under the kind brown eyes she had and she always had a smile on her face.

"Morning, Naomi-san." I responded I stopped in front of her to say the hello, because she was a nice lady and one of the first civilians to ever accept me back into the village.

"Heading off the hospital already?" she asked. Yes, everyday for the past three weeks I spent from breakfast to dinner in the hospital.

"Yes." I told her. "How's business?"

"Oh, wonderful, stop by on your way home, I cooked up your favorite." She said with a smile. "But I won't accept your money this time."

"Why can't you just take the money?" I asked irritated. "I give you the money you deserve for what you make."

"It's a gift, hun. You don't pay for a gift." She said with a smile.

I sighed angrily. "You're so stubborn, granny."

She laughed at that. "Don't forget to come by!" she yelled as I walked away.

I finally got to the hospital which always seemed like it took forever. I walked into the doors and saw Kin, the desk woman that came in on weekends.

"Morning Sasuke." She said with a smile.

"Anything improve?" I asked.

"She's still stable. Tsunade-sama said she thinks she'll recover soon."

I smiled. "Thanks." I said and walked down the hall to room 103.

I slid open the door to the room and entered. "Morning." I said.

I walked over to the right side of the hospital bed and sat down in my usual seat. The hospital looked the same like everyday. The white bed with the neat sheets. The window that had the pale blue curtains. On the nightstand was the bouquet of flowers I got yesterday a a few cards sat on the window sill. And the two chairs for visitors to sit in. One on the right side and one on the left.

"Tsunade thinks you'll recover soon." I told her with a smile on my face that hurt.

"Mari comes home today too, maybe I'll bring her with me tomorrow….. the dobe didn't come home yet though, that's why he hasn't been here. He's probably worried about you… Kakashi has been here I heard, he was probably reading those stupid books while he was here though, he didn't talk to you did he?" Of course I didn't receive an answer though. I sighed.

"Naruto gets inaugurated next week." I said, and then I laughed a little. "I can't believe he's actually going to be the sixth…. But of course he is Naruto…." I stopped smiling it hurt too much to force it.

"Sakura… please wake up." I told her. "I don't want to do this single dad thing anymore, I hate being alone, I miss you, and I just want you home, and better."

Sometimes the silence is what hurts the most.

Sakura, had been in a coma for three weeks now. Tsunade said she was improving slowly.

I shouldn't have let her go on that damn mission. I blamed myself sometimes for it even though, Naruto, Kakashi, Tsunade, and even Sai told me not to. But I couldn't help it.

All four of my kids were shinobi now. Mari, a jonin, one a team with three other great ninja. Namiko, was ANBU, Ren a chunin now, and Seito who just became a genin. Life was moving faster than I wanted it to.

I didn't realize it but tears were forming. I hated this the most. I was supposed to be emotionless. I was supposed to be the strong one, the one that remain stolid, calm, and here I cried every single time I came here.

I hated it.

I took a breath to calm myself down. And I remained in the chair until I went for a small lunch and my daily sit down with Tsunade, which was a talk about Sakura's improvement and coma.

I walked into the office that Tsunade met me at everyday in the hospital carrying a salad, full of tomatoes and a salad for Tsunade as well. She set out glasses of water like every day and pulled out a file from her desk.

"How was your morning Sasuke?" she asked when I sat down putting the salads on the desk.

"Fine." I told her. "Kin said that you think Sakura will wake soon?"

Tsunade gave me a smile. "Actually it could be only a matter of time now."

"Really?" I said trying to hide my excitement, but I knew that Tsunade saw right through my emotionless face.

She always could that was what I liked about coming here. She never said anything about it either. But whenever I needed to vent or just plainly talk she was always there.

"Any day now." She told me.

A smile was brought to my face but I felt the tears well up again. I just wanted her back, I didn't want to go through life without her anymore, it was almost a month now but it felt like years.

"I know it's becoming difficult." Tsunade said sitting down in her chair. "Especially trying to cope with four kids."

I laughed through my silent tears. "It seems they're always on missions now." I told her.

"Of course, I remember even when Mari was born… she looks so much older now." She said with a laugh. "Very pretty too."

"She's coming home today." I said.

"Well, at least the house won't be empty as much now."

I nodded I felt more tears coming to my eyes, they were burning like hell.

"Sasuke, it's okay to be sad. Especially with me. I won't say anything to anyone." She said softly and then moved over into the chair next to me. "Ever since you and Sakura got married and had children I have cared for you like a son, since I think Sakura to be my daughter…. Even if you want me to leave you here in the room by yourself for a little, I will."

I shook my head, if anything I did not want to be alone. I was so sick and tired of being alone. Pretty much all my life I've been alone.

Tsunade sighed. "You should eat something." She told me.

"Not hungry." I managed to say.

"It's not good to bottle it up Sasuke. You know that would be the exact same thing Sakura would say to you."

"I don't like feeling this way, and I don't like crying, or showing my true emotions, it make me feel weak."

"I know, but you're just going to hurt more if you don't let it out."

I clasped my hand to my mouth so I wouldn't get loud. I felt it coming, I really did. I wanted to let it out, it would make me feel better, but I hated doing that even if it did help me in the long run. I squinted my eyes shut and tears began to well up even faster and I felt them fall down my face even as I tried so hard to stop them.

I was a grown man for god's sake. I shouldn't be crying. So I forced myself to stop. Like all the other times. I rubbed my eyes and dried the tears on my face. It felt a little better even if I really didn't let everything out.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I said and rose from the chair. Every day I liked going there because it was sort of like a therapy session. I didn't want to admit it but I loved going there every day.

I entered Sakura's room again to find someone sitting on the left side of the bed. Kakashi.

"Oh, Sasuke. You're here." He said with a book up to his face. "I didn't know."

"I'm here every day."

"I had the day off so I decided to drop by. I'll be retiring soon though. Naruto told me once he becomes Hokage he'll give me the Jonin Commander position. For some reason the position was never filled after Shikaku's death, well officially, Shizune took over the position, but she told me that once Tsunade leaves so shall she and then she'll get a job at the hospital just like Tsunade will. That way I won't get missions anymore. But I'll still be involved."

Kakashi, who was now close to fifty-five, was starting to go blind in his Sharingan eye, and the physical toll of two wars, and many battles near the verge of death, he decided it was time to calm down. He looked the same though, but bags under his eyes began to form and his hair became a bit longer.

"So? Any news?" he asked me.

"Tsunade said any day now she'll wake up."

He smiled underneath his mask. "That's good news." He said getting up from his seat. "Well, I'll leave now, maybe come back later." He waved and walked out the door.

"Do you think he'll ever stop being a pervert? With those books of his?" I said with a small laugh and smile.

I sat there with her for the rest of the day until four.

I got up from my seat put my hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead. Now with the same seal as Tsunade, longer hair, and a little skinnier, after he health kick from having four babies, she was still my Sakura.

I walked out of the hospital doors saying good bye to everyone and to Kin on my way out. She said she'd call if she woke up.

I walked all the way to the bakery and entered the doorway to see Naomi and her husband Karu.

"Sasuke!" she called out excitedly. "You remembered."

"Of course I did." I told her and I pulled out money from my pocket.

"I thought I told you that you don't pay for a gift." She said handing me a small box. Inside contained most likely two, tomato and goat cheese tarts, something she learned how to make a few years back once she learned that I hated sweet things and liked tomatoes. She didn't sell them in her bakery so she makes the specifically for me for some reason. But I always thanked her but, she would refuse to take my money.

"I'm not paying for them." I told her and then walked up the counter with the money in my hand in put it the tip jar.

"Sasuke…. I said no paying!'

"I'm not, I'm tipping. You can't refuse that."

"Fine!" she said giving up. "So how did the hospital go today?" she asked

"Fine, Tsunade said she'll wake up soon." I told her. I felt like I said this to hundreds of people today.

"That's wonderful! I miss seeing Sakura walking down the street with Ren and Seito picking up groceries." She smiled. "Tell me when she wakes Sasuke! And I'll make a huge Welcome Home cake!"

"That's not necessary."

"AH-ah-ah!" she yelled putting up a finger. "It's a gift. No objections."

I smiled and said goodbye to them and left heading straight for home.

When I got home the door was already unlocked, telling me that Mari was home. I reached down to the mat and saw the key was gone, so she did forget her key...

Mari was my oldest. She was sixteen now. And she was more like me than Sakura. Quiet. Barely showed any emotion. And even had lightning and fire release at her disposal.

When I walked in I put the box of tarts on the table. "Mari!" I yelled into the house. "I'm home."

I then heard footsteps come from upstairs. She came down wearing her ninja clothes, which I've told her numerous times were to revealing. Then she would call me overprotective and storm away. Ugh. Women.

Mari looked more like my mother than anything. Long black hair, kind face, and onyx eyes. Her skin wasn't as pale as mine, more warm like Sakura's and of course she had the Sharingan.

"Hi dad." She said and sat down at the table. "Are you making anything for dinner?" she asked.

"No, I thought we'd go out. I'm not much of a cook." I said.

"How was the hospital?" she asked.

"Fine." I was used to being asked that. "I'll take you tomorrow to see mom… she probably wants to hear from you."

"She's awake?"

"No. Tsunade said she'll wake up soon though. She's improved a lot she tells me."

"Oh." she sighed.

"How was the mission?"

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you…talk to mom when you see her? I mean she can't hear you."

It hurt more than it should have to hear that.

"Tsunade says that it helps so I do. Besides, it helps me too."

She looked down at the table not saying a word.

"Do you want to go get food? Or take out?" I asked.

"Take out, I really don't feel like going anywhere." She said with a frown.

"Alright."

We got curry for the night and ended up not saying anything to each other the whole time. Sometimes I wished Sakura was here or even Mari's sister and her brothers, who talked, and talked, and talked, for hours straight. Even though I sometimes just wanted put my hand over their mouth just to stop the talking.

"Night." She said and went up to her room. I sighed and did the same.

Crawling into the bed that was too big for one person. I sometimes forgot that Sakura was in her coma, and sometimes would think that she was working the late shift at the hospital and in a couple hours I would wake from sleep to see her come in the room smile at me and tell me to go back to sleep. A couple minutes later I would feel her warm body up against mine and i would turn over and hold her the whole night.

It happened the first couple nights that she was in the hospital when I would wake up and freak because she wasn't next to me, and it took me a couple m minutes to remember that she was in the hospital, unconscious.

* * *

_"You three will be going on a mission, infiltrating an abandoned warehouse, that was named in an anonymous tip that is the headquarters of a drug cartel." Tsunade told the three._

_"Shouldn't the police be doing this?" Shikamaru asked._

_"We were hired by the police, apparently the drug cartel has hired ninja of their own, citizens would not be able to take down ninja on their own." Tsunade told them. "I'm sending you three because the skill of the ninja is unknown. Better to be safe than sorry."_

_"So... we take out the ninja and then...?" Naruto asked._

_"The police in town will handle it from there."_

_"Do we kill or just mildly render them unconscious?" Shikamaru wondered._

_"Do whatever you think must be done."_

_He nodded._

_"It should take you only three hours to arrive in the town. But, if you want to get the mission done and be home for dinner, I suggest you leave now. Naruto will head the mission. Shikamaru you're the strategist, obviously, and Sakura you will be the medic."_

_All three of them nodded and then walked from the Hokage tower to the front of the village, in no hurry._

_They traveled the three hours to the small town outside the village. The village was in the middle of the forest, and the all the buildings were log cabins. They arrived at the small cabin that served as the police station and met with the chief. He explained that the warehouse was a couple yards from here and it was made out of stone and the windows were boarded up. Three ninja surrounded the outside, and the rest on the inside, but he couldn't say how many were really in there._

_The three nodded and then headed out with three policemen following them behind ready to arrest the drug dealers. _

_"Alright, Sakura and I will take out the ninja on the outside, it shouldn't be too hard, Sakura could probably even handle it herself but just to make sure she'd be safe since she is the medic, Naruto you should head right in, you're the strongest so it should be a piece of cake. Then after we round up the ninja and tied them up, the police will arrest the dealers. Got it?"_

_The two nodded in agreement with Shikamaru's plan._

_"You make the call, Naruto."_

_He nodded and then they sat behind the bushes waiting for Naruto's signal._

_"Go." he whispered into the radios they shared._

_The three took off and easily defeated the ninja. _

_"That was simple. Maybe we will be home in time for dinner." Sakura said with a smile. "AH!" she yelled right before she hit the ground. It was one of the drug dealers that broke away from the police men and he had bashed Sakura's head with a metal pipe that must have been laying around in the warehouse._

_"Sakura!" Shikamaru yelled. He rushed over to her and lifted her up._

_"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled and ran over to her and Shikamaru. "Is she going to be okay?" _

_Shikamaru bit his thumb and summoned up a giant black panther. "Can you take us back to the village? And fast?"_

_"Of course Shikamaru!" the panther said in a low voice. _

_Shikmaru climbed on the panther and Naruto got on holding up Sakura. He put Sakura in between himself and Shikamaru so she wouldn't fall off. _

_"Is she going to be okay?! Shikamaru?!" Naruto shouted as they ran on the back of the panther through the forest._

_"I don't know!" Shikamaru yelled back. And if there was one thing he hated, it was when he didn't know something._

_It wasn't till they got back to Konoha that Tsunade said she'd be in a coma due to the swelling of her brain. Tsunade had no idea when she would wake. They just had to calm down._

_Naruto was the one that went to Sasuke and told him everything. Sasuke almost punched him but contained himself and ran to the hospital and broke down when he say Sakura, laying there, not moving, not even looking alive, and they still didn't clean up the blood from the trauma to her head from the metal pipe._

_Tsunade was the only one to calm Sasuke down finally, and he refused to see anyone. He slept in the hospital chair that night. _

_Mari was leaving for a mission the next day, she knew about Sakura, but didn't come to the hospital saying she needed rest for the mission. Sasuke said he could get her out of going but Mari told him no and it was her responsibility to carry out the mission._

_Namiko left two days before._

_And Ren left that very day._

_Seito was with his Sensei somewhere on a mission with the rest of his genin team. _

_So Sasuke was left alone in the silence._

* * *

3am.

* * *

Damn phone. It was ringing.

But then I remembered what Kin said, she'd call me if she woke.

I snapped into action and almost fell out of my bed and ran down the stairs and picked up the phone.

"Hello?!" I shouted into it.

"Sasuke!" Kin said from the other end. "Tsunade-sama said to call you. She said to come into the hospital, the moi tor picked up changes in her brain waves, she could wake up any minute. But Sasuke don't bring Mari." Kin told him.

"I'll be right there."

I was still in my old clothes I sleep in but right now I could care less. I slipped on sandals not even taking time to sit down and do it, and almost lost my balance and banged into the wall while trying to shove them on. I pulled on a jacket and then I heard Mari's footsteps come down the stairs.

"Dad?"

"Mari, I just got a call from the hospital." I started to explain. "I'll call you later, but for now you can go back to sleep." I listened to what Kin said about not bringing her. I didn't know why but I did as I was told.

"Okay…" she said sleepily. Obviously too tired to register it.

I ran out of my house all the way to the hospital and stormed there was no one there, mostly because visitors can't be there this late. I ran all the way down the hall to room 103 and slid open the door. Tsunade was in there standing at the end of the bed. I walked over to see Sakura laying there. Like always.

She furrowed her brow. She moved! She really did! It brought a smile to my face.

"Soon…" Tsunade said. "You can get me when she wakes. I'll be just down the hall talking to Kin." She said and left the room. I watched her for a good hour but nothing more happened. And then I put my head down on the bed and I slowly drifted to sleep another hour later.

I felt someone feeling my hair. Playing with it. Where was I? I asked myself. Beeping… oh right the hospital….

I eyes scrunched up and I lifted my head without my eyes opening. I slowly opened them but every thing was a blurry mess. And I yawned. I must have fell asleep wait for Sak….

I looked over to where the unconscious Sakura should be and there she was sitting up and smiling in my face. Clearly awake.

"W-When d-d-did you…?" I asked in a sleepy yet shocked voice. There was probably a hint of pure excitement in it too.

"About a half hour ago." She told me. "Don't worry Tsunade was already in here." She said smiling.

"You…you're awake."

She glared at me and the hit me over the head.

"Yes I'm awake!" she said.

I rubbed the head where she hit me. And for once emotions took over, I lunged at her and hugged her waist burying my face in her shoulder. She put her arms around me hugging me back and I did what Tsunade has been telling me to for the past three weeks. I let it out.

In between my sobs I heard her say, "Shhhh." And she would laugh sometimes, that _the_ Sasuke was crying and had emotions. "It's okay." She would say. "Sasuke, calm down." I was getting her drenched with my tears but I couldn't stop myself.

She just held me for the ten minutes I cried, because of nothing but happiness.

I finally stopped but didn't pull away from her I didn't want to let go.

"Come on, get in the bed with me." She said after I calmed down. I did so still keeping my head on her shoulder and one arm around her waist. She brushed the wet tears streaming down my face off and moved my hair away from my now red puffy eyes. "Tsunade would be proud." She told me.

Of course she told Sakura all about my attempts to bottle up my feelings. She began to play with my hair again.

"I missed you." I told her. She laughed.

"I would say the same, but it wasn't three weeks for me. More like three seconds." Sakura said with a smile. "But, I love you."

I smiled into her shoulder. "I love you too."

And then she kissed me on the forehead.

And then it was silent.

But for once, this silence didn't hurt.

* * *

_Thanks for reading my one-shot!_

_Don't forget to review and tell me how you feel about it!_

_Reviews make me smile :)_

_Sorry if i missed a mistake I think I got them all though!_


End file.
